By Jack Bedell,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Hammond, LA – In my breakdown of last week’s East Division Semi-Final, I mentioned one of the principal strengths of the BC Lions’ offensive attack had to be Casey Printers’ ability to extend plays by escaping pressure and pushing the ball deep to Geroy Simon and Paris Jackson.
As the game in Hamilton played out, Printers absolutely punished the Tiger-Cats’ defence with big plays out of the pocket.
Even with consistent pressure coming from Hamilton’s front seven, they could not take Printers to the ground. More than any other factor in the game was the Ticats’ inability to corral Printers which led to their early ouster from the playoffs.
To his credit, Printers played as efficient a game as I’ve seen him play in his career, going 24 of 35 for 360 yards and a touchdown. That kind of efficiency combined with ball security and accuracy on deep strikes is simply lethal.
When the Lions come into Olympic Stadium for the Eastern Division Final this weekend, the onus for short-circuiting Printers’ success will fall squarely on the shoulders of the best defence in the CFL.
Pressuring Printers
Maintaining rush-lane integrity, tackling securely, and keeping safe depth in coverage will be of paramount importance for the Alouettes’ D. Fortunately, these tasks fall right into the strengths of Montreal’s stingy defence.
The Als’ front seven is extremely athletic across the board, more than capable of keeping Printers in the pocket where he is much less effective as a passer. The linebackers are as fast and aggressive as any unit in the CFL, particularly with Chip Cox patrolling the open field should BC try to roll the pocket away from pressure.
Couple the high-motor intensity of the Als’ front seven with sticky, savvy coverage provided by Davis Sanchez, Mark Estelle, Jerald Brown, Billy Parker, and safeties Matthieu Proulx and Étienne Boulay, and you’ve got the perfect recipe to keep the Lions’ passing attack in check.
This same group of players will also have to keep a lid on BC running back Martell Mallett, who gashed Montreal’s D for 213 yards in the teams’ first meeting back in Week 10. That same defence showed its ability to adapt the following week, however, holding Mallett to just 66 yards.
Beware the Als’ offence
On the other side of the ball, BC has had more than its share of troubles stopping opposing offences this season. And those woes continued last week in Hamilton with Kevin Glenn passing for well over 400 yards and two majors without a turnover.
Quick, accurate passing from Anthony Calvillo, hard running from Avon Cobourne, and an up-tempo attack should tilt the field Montreal’s way. With the number of playmakers available to Calvillo – Kerry Watkins, Jamel Richardson, Ben Cahoon, Cobourne, Brian Bratton, and on and on – finding a place to put the ball shouldn’t be a problem for the Als’ attack.
Considering the history of close, hard-fought tilts shared by these two franchises, Sunday’s Eastern Final is sure to be a competitive matchup.
My bet is intense preparation, a raucous home crowd making noise in the Big O, and the most talented roster in the CFL will carry the day for the Alouettes.
